Pablo Español?

Experimental doc memorializes Picasso art.

In The Mystery of Picasso, Pablo's BFF, director Henri-Georges Clouzot, captures the essence of an artistic genius in a moment of inspiration, an experience/event/occurrence that he wanted to bring to a wider audience. But it's one thing to see a Picasso work hanging in a museum; it's entirely another to see how it was made.Using a clever technique, Clouzot filmed from behind one side of a transparent canvas while Picasso painted on the other, as if the art great was brushing colors right across the screen. The candid 1956 documentary captures not only the artistic process, but also Picasso's offhand comments about his pieces. "This is going to end very, very badly," the master says about one painting near the end of the film. Of course, it wasn't true — but because Picasso insisted that all the paintings in the doc be remembered only on celluloid, every piece was destroyed after the flick was shot. It screens at 1:30 today in the Cleveland Museum of Art's lecture hall, 11150 East Boulevard. Tickets are $5 to $8. Call 216-421-7350 or visit www.clevelandart.org.
Sun., Dec. 30, 1:30 p.m., 2007